FREE: FOUR NEW FOREVER STAMPS "FERNS"-Issue Date: March 6, 2014

The listing, FOUR NEW FOREVER STAMPS "FERNS"-Issue Date: March 6, 2014 has ended.

Ferns
Forever Stamps $0.49

Ferns predate flowering plants in the earth's evolutionary history, dating back millions of years. The word “fern” is ancient as well, from the old Anglo-Saxon “fearn,” which means “feather.” Some ferns do indeed look feathery, but that is only part of the story. Types of ferns range from tiny moss - like plants to giants as tall as trees, and they flourish in diverse environments - from forests and deserts to alpine, aquatic, and tropical habitats.

Worldwide there are thousands of types of ferns; North America (north of Mexico) boasts several hundred different species.

With roots, stems, and leaves - called fronds - ferns are similar to flowering plants, yet they differ in significant ways. Ferns do not produce flowers or fruits, nor do they produce seeds. They reproduce from spores, which cluster together into sori, the small brownish patches most often found on the bottom sides of the fronds. Spread by the wind, only a few of the spores find the perfect spot to germinate.

In the spring, the new plant appears above the ground in a tightly curled formation. As the new fronds start to unfurl, they resemble the neck of a fiddle, called fiddlehead. Fiddleheads of certain species of ferns are considered a seasonal delicacy, and they appear on menus during the early spring. The new growth is also sometimes referred to as a crosier, as it echoes the shape of a bishop's crosier or staff.